Between My Brother And Me: Ab Aeterno
by Green Phantom Queen
Summary: Part of the "Between My Brother And Me" series: one year before Ash Ketchum sets foot into Domino City, a strange MMORPG that is causing people to fall into comas has been discovered. The only ones who can enter the world and uncover the truth are the Dark Signers, but what they uncover is a malevolent entity ready to unleash destruction upon both the real and virtual worlds.
1. Prologue: Phantom Force

_So, was anyone expecting a new story so soon?_

 _Welcome to the prologue for "Between my Brother and Me: Ab Aeterno", set one year before Ash would ever set foot into Domino City and become duelist, which takes place between two worlds: the real and the virtual._

 _This story is heavily inspired by the dot hack franchise (particularly the G1 games, aka IMOQ) that have been a part of me since I was young. In this world Cyberconnect does not exist, but The World does. How the troubles of The World and the Eight Phases plays out here will be explained in time, but here are some rules to note:_

 _First, characters from Pokémon Sun and Moon play a_ _huge_ _role in the story. For those who have not played Sun and Moon, I highly advise that you avoid the story until you play the games (or Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon when they come out). Trust me, you'll have a better appreciation for the story if you do your homework._

 _Two, characters will be referenced by two different types of names: their regular and their "user"names. I highly advise to do research on them (or at the very least keep some notes down) since it's going to be a bit confusing later on._

 _Third, duels (yes, there is dueling in this story) will start at 8000 lifepoints, and most cards will follow their TCG/OCG rulings (barring the obvious ones like Card of Demise, Card of Sanctity, etc.)_

 _Fourth, expect various characters from Pokémon to be hanging around here. These guys appear in "Ab Initio" too, but this story is where we'll hear more about them. They have plenty of surprises in store, let me tell you._

 _As for Yu-Gi-Oh characters? The only thing I can say is that Yugi won't be in the spotlight of this one (he will in the side-story "Between my Brother and Me: Ab Antiquo") but anyone else is fair game._

 _And without further ado, let us enter The World…_

* * *

 **Between my Brother and Me: Ab Aeterno**

Author: Green Phantom Queen

Rated: T

Summary: One year before Ash Ketchum unleashed Reshef, the Aether Foundation has brought in a new game known as "The World". But mysterious things are happening there, and to break through it, it will take the combined forces of light and darkness to stop it before the menace of the virtual world breaks into the world of the living.

 **Prologue - Phantom Force**

" _That crazed girl improvising her music._

 _Her poetry, dancing upon the shore,_

 _Her soul in division from itself_

 _Climbing, falling She knew not where,_

 _Hiding amid the cargo of a steamship,_

 _Her knee-cap broken, that girl I declare_

 _A beautiful lofty thing, or a thing_

 _Heroically lost, heroically found._

 _No matter what disaster occurred_

 _She stood in desperate music wound,_

 _Wound, wound, and she made in her triumph_

 _Where the bales and the baskets lay_

 _No common intelligible sound_

 _But sang, 'O sea-starved, hungry sea.'"_

-A Crazed Girl, William Butler Yeats

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

" _What shall the gods turn to after all is said and done?"_

 _It is said that gods are all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present. That depends on the religion and on who you ask._

 _For one thing, if the gods were so omniscient, the chances of the Trojan War happening (all because of one goddess being refused a seat of the table due to the chaos she could produce) would have been slim to none. Or if the Rhine-maidens decided to not mock someone for their ugliness, would Ragnarok have occurred?_

 _Gods are just like humans, except that when they mess up, they are unable to fix their mistakes like we humans can._

 _When we think of gods and their perfectness, we try to emulate them in all that they do. And if all that fails, we try to summon them._

 _But woe to those who foolishly wish to summon a god without knowing the consequences. Just because they are summoned, that does not mean you have control of them. Nor does it mean that they have good intentions in mind._

 _This is the tale of how one woman's desire to meet these gods nearly doomed the city of Domino, and the tale of the people who decided to stop her before Domino was plunged into total darkness._

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

The mission was supposed to be simple: go to a very low-leveled dungeon, collect the treasure, split it between the three members of the party, gate out to a town, sell the treasures for profit, then rest for the evening.

But things began to nosedive just as soon as they entered the dungeon.

Bianca looks around nervously, wielding a staff and dressed in black while she and her fellow party members Alighieri (dressed like a red and black bard with bushy black hair) and Grimm (a warrior with purple hair in a ponytail dressed in a black cloak and matching eye-mask while wielding a rapier) travel through the simple one-floor dungeon with green walls covered with vines. Something about this place is making her feel very unsettled…

And her theory is proven correct just seconds after they leave the treasure room ("Gott statue", where "Gott" is "God" in German, Grimm notes) and she hears nothing but static and a clear note in the background...A in C Major. The scenery changes into a green and grey sky, a stone platform with floating islands around them.

"We...we should leave right now," Bianca stammers to Alighieri and Grimm. "Before it's too…"

She is interrupted by a strange girl in a white dress and powder blue trim with blond hair and green eyes appearing before them, carrying something in her arms. It looks like a large tome…

In fact, it _is_ a large tome.

"Who are you?" Alighieri whispers.

"Please take this," The girl in white whispers hastily, shoving the book into Bianca's hands.

"You're not answering our question," says Grimm. "Who _are_ you?"

"There's no time," The girl answers. "The power within this book can bring either hope or despair to whoever uses it."

"Well, that's helpful," Alighieri replies. "Can you give us a name?"

"...it's coming!" The girl shouts right before she vanishes.

Alighieri, Grimm and Bianca look up and gasp.

The figure is a large being with black armor lined with silver and white gauntlets. Their head is similar to a skull with a pair of matching black horns. In their hands is a mighty axe that is capable of splitting a tree in two...or perhaps a _person_.

"What's a Demise, King of Armageddon doing in a Level 1 dungeon?!" Grimm exclaims.

"Does anyone have a monster that can stop him?" Alighieri asks.

"My monsters need time to gain that much power," Bianca answers. "Plus, even if we could summon a monster, Demise will just destroy them with a wave of his hand!"

Demise raises his axe into the air as a ring of blue and green hexagons surround him. The ground begins to rumble beneath his feet. Bianca stands her ground.

"Guys, listen to me," she says. "On my signal, log out of the game."

"Are you crazy?!" Grimm exclaims. "What's logging out going to do?"

"We have no other choice," says Alighieri, tightening the grip on his scythe. "I sure hope you know what you're doing."

"I forsaw it…" Bianca mutters, her eyes temporarily flickering into a shade of black before she stares at the strange bird-like mark glowing on her arm. "Ready?"

Demise spins his axe round and round, the sounds of a machine whir accompanying him.

"1…" says Bianca.

He raises his hand and points it toward the three children. Alighieri and Grimm gulp.

"2…" Bianca slams her staff to the ground.

Demise growls as white light surrounds him.

"3!"

Three sets of rings form around the three characters just as Demise unleashes a blast of light that obliterates the landscape around them. The only thing Bianca can feel is everything becoming black as someone calls out for her.

" _Bel! Bel, wake up!"_

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

"Bel!"

Bel groans as she slowly opens her eyes to look at the ceiling, marked with the image of a hummingbird. A face...green hair and equally green eyes are staring at her.

"S...Shooti?" Bel mutters. "Is that...you?"

"Bel…" Shooti sighs, clasping onto the girl's hand. "You had me worried for a minute. What happened?"

"I honestly can't say," Bel replies as she sits up. She should feel a splitting headache from what she encountered, but ever since her resurrection by the Earthbound Immortal - ascilla piscu, she feels nothing. "How long have I been out?"

"A couple of hours. But, boy, Wataru is gonna be so mad when he learns that you were playing that game again instead of studying."

"That game", as Bianca turns to her laptop that is connected to a VR headset, is currently on the Login screen. Part of her wants to figure out if her friends are okay, but…

"So, you're awake now."

Bel gulps as a figure with blond hair and a pair of black and white headphones that have a trail of black that fall to her waist silently enters the room. Shooti steps back as Bel closes her eyes, concentrating on the glamor spell that transforms her casual orange wear into her black dress marked with the design of an orange hummingbird. Opening her eyes again, they are black as ebony.

"Kamitsure-san," Bel begins. "I...I'm so sorry that I haven't been paying attention to my studies. I told myself that after one dungeon I was gonna log out and...and…"

"Who exactly did you team up with?" asks Kamitsure as she sits down on a lounging chair decorated with the same orange bird design on Bel's dress.

"Their usernames were Alighieri and Grimm," Bel answers. "The former named after Dante Alighieri and the latter after the Brothers Grimm."

"Do you know who they are in real life?" Kamitsure notices a bowl of tangerines and takes one for herself.

"Um...I know that Alighieri has black bushy hair and a card locket around his neck, and Grimm has purple hair and a fondness for fairy tales…"

"..." Kamitsure stops peeling her tangerine as she narrows her eyes. Setting the tangerine and its peels on the table, she stands up and begins to walk away.

"Um...Kamitsure-san?" Bel squeaks out.

"...See if you can contact them and tell them to come to see you," Kamitsure answers as she turns to Shooti and Bel. "And Shooti…"

"Yes, ma'am," says Shooti, standing up. Kamitsure sighs.

"First, there is no reason to call me 'ma'am," she begins. "And second, I'd like you to read through the book in Bel's hands and take as many pictures as you can. After that, please come to the main hall for breakfast and a meeting."

She walks off, the only thing that can be heard is the 'click' of her heels before even that fades away. Bel looks in confusion before she stares at the book in her hands. The cover is made of leather, and there is a diamond in the center consisting of three colors: yellow, black and blue. She tries to open it…

Instead, it is stuck, despite the fact there is no clasp to seal it..

"This is the same book that girl gave me…" Bel whispers, lifting it into the air. "But...what is it for?"

"Hey, Bel," says Shooti, typing something on her laptop. "You've got mail from your friends."

Bel sets the book down and looks at the laptop, quickly scanning through the two emails before sending a reply to them both. Just as she finishes it, a new email pops out.

"Huh?" she asks, clicking on it. "What the-"

 _ **To the one who holds the book,**_

 _ **Demise chases after me. Please help me before it's too late.**_

 _ **-Lillie**_

"'Lillie'?" Bel whispers. "I've never heard of her before."

"I bet neither Mokuba Kaiba nor Leon von Schroder have heard of her too."

"Yeah, I bet...WHAT?!" Bel looks in shock at Shooti before going back to the previous two emails. "The little brothers of both Seto Kaiba _and_ Siegfried von Schroder were my party members?!"

"It should've been obvious," Shooti notes, pointing to the email addresses. "Aren't those their same addresses found in our Domino Middle School Contact Lists?"

Bel blushes as it all comes back to her-of course they would use their email addresses for something like this.

"And if they were with you when you were fighting Demise," says Shooti with a grimace. "Then I have a pretty bad feeling that we'll be seeing them at breakfast."

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Shooti's suspicions are correct as the two rushed to the main hall where the other Dark Signers (and their acolytes) are already having breakfast. Even though the Dark Signers have no need for food, eating is a simple joy that gives the groups energy for what they have to do (and also so that they do not have to constantly ask their Earthbound Immortals for energy that can be used for more important things).

Shooti takes his place with his fellow acolytes, seating himself between Noah and Kengo. Molly is happily pouring milk into a bowl of cereal while Reiji hands Shooti a plate of toast topped with ham and a fried egg.

"You look horrible," Reiji notes. "What's going on?"

"Trouble," Shooti notes, turning to see Bel sitting down in her seat and taking a chocolate croissant onto her plate. "You'll hear about it soon enough."

"She was caught playing games again, right?" Noah teases. Molly sets the pitcher of milk down and smiles.

"I wish I could play that game, but I'm too young," she pouts. Kengo just ruffles the girl's hair. "I wonder what type of people she met last night."

The sound of two doors opening will reveal the answer soon enough.

Four figures enter the dark main hall that is lit by a large chandelier black as ebony, everyone's eyes no longer on breakfast but at the people who dare to enter their sacred chambers. Bel swallows a lump in her throat as she notes two of them: one with black bushy hair, the other with purple hair tied into a ponytail.

"Should I call you by your real names or usernames?" she asks.

"Hey Bel," Mokuba says shyly, looking at his surroundings. On the ceiling are the images of seven strange beings outlined in the colors of the rainbow. Something about this place is filled with an ancient power that he is unable to comprehend. "So...you're part of a cult, I guess?"

"The Dark Signers are no cult!" Kengo exclaims, slamming his hands on the table. "You will treat them with more respect else-"

"Calm yourself, Kengo," says a male voice. The figure with teal hair the color of the sea has a mark similar to a large fish on his left arm. "Whether you like them or not, these four are our guests."

"Yes, Mikurui," Kengo mumbles.

Wataru, noted for his spiky red hair similar to a fire, approaches the four and bows. "It is honor to find both Siegfried von Schroder and Seto Kaiba in our presence."

"Save it," Seto snarls. "We're here on important business regarding 'The World'."

"The resident expert about it will be our beloved Bel," says a calm voice belonging to a woman with lavender hair. She watches as Wataru returns to his chair before continuing. "I don't suppose you will be talking about any 'special events' that happened recently, correct?"

"Our brothers have told us everything, Nagi," says Siegfried, seating himself down on a black hair. He crosses one leg over the other as he adds, "And it has come to our attention that similar situations have been happening in the game. Were it not for Bel, my brother would've landed himself in a coma."

"Thank you so much!" says Leon, seating himself next to the girl. Mokuba takes a seat next to Leon. "How did you know about the trick of logging off?"

"Like I said, I foresaw it," Bel answers curtly. Someone clearing their throat catches their attention.

"What do you propose we do about this?" asks the woman with dark blue hair and a mark of a strange giant on her arm.

"It's quite simple, really," says Seto. "We are asking all of you to log in and figure out the source of the problem."

There is silence from the Dark Signers, only broken from someone bursting out in laughter.

"That's what you want us to do?" says the person, a teenage girl with blond hair tied into a ponytail. "The great Seto Kaiba is asking us to play a _game_?! That's such a load of-"

She doesn't get to finish her sentence as she finds herself laughing once more, only stopped by Kamitsure whacking her behind the head. Leon sighs.

"We don't like this idea as much as you do," he says. "But considering your 'condition', you can enter 'The World' without ever having to log out, and I'm sure your Earthbound Immortals will be willing to save you from being sent into comas by whatever lurks in the game."

"But why are you asking us to risk our lives for a simple game?" asks Wataru. "Surely you can ask someone else to do this job, correct?"

"We would, but we're asking you because of the company that runs it," Mokuba answers. "Seto and I have been digging up research on the Aether Foundation and why they've been so keen on working with both us _and_ Schroder Corp. and we've noticed that, well…"

"Let's just say that they've been sweeping various coma incidents under the rug," says Siegfried. "No one knows for sure that the Aether Foundation is truly causing them, but one thing's for certain…'The World' is hiding something dangerous."

"Sounds scary…" Molly whispers. Reiji places a hand over her own to comfort her.

"We've already sent emails to personally request that the seven of you go and try out 'The World' to prove that it's safe," says Seto, pulling out a letter from his silver duster. He slides it across the table until it reaches Wataru. "Tomorrow at noon, all seven of you will be entering the Aether Foundation under the conditions that you will be 'play-testing' for a special event that will be premiering in less than a week's time."

"That doesn't sound suspicious…" Noah mutters under his breath.

Wataru looks at the envelope, sealed with a sticker of a diamond that matches the symbol on Bel's book, before opening it. Inside are seven cards that he quickly passes to his fellow Dark Signers. He pockets his own card before nodding his head.

"Very well," he says. "The Dark Signers will join with Seto Kaiba and…" He narrows his eyes at both Schroder brothers. "The Disciples of the Crimson Dragon to help figure out what is going on in 'The World'."

"Hell is absolutely freezing over," Mokuba whispers to Leon. "I mean, when have our brothers ever agreed to work together like this?"

"Not since their joint effort to open Domino City's Duel Academy," Leon adds. Wataru stands up and claps his hands.

"Dark Signers," he begins. "We must prepare for what is to come in 'The World'. If this is a threat that someone under the Crimson Dragon wants us to investigate then we cannot refuse them." He narrows his eyes. "No matter how much we despise them so."

This gets a nod from everyone else. The girl with the ponytail stands up.

"And for this, the Dark Signer Acolytes will stay behind to investigate whatever might be going on the real world," she says. "Reiji will be in charge. Everyone else will have to listen to him, all right?"

"As you wish, Korin," says Reiji. "I highly doubt we'll be going through that much trouble, right?"

A gasp from Bel causes him to change his mood as she clutches her head in pain. She is glad that she is dead, or else she would probably be suffering a heart attack also. After a few seconds, she sighs and leans back in her chair.

"What did you see?" asks the woman with blue-black hair.

"Natsume…" Bel grunts. "I...I saw...a gold pyramid...with an eye in its center."

"Anything else?" asks Kamitsure.

"A riddle…" Bel answers. "'What can be seen but cannot be seen?'"

"Love? Light? Darkness? Happiness? Hope?" Molly begins to name off the top of her head. "Oh, I know! It's friendship!"

"It's going to be worse than that," Seto mutters under his breath.

"What's that supposed to mean, Seto?" asks Mokuba. He knows that his brother has been acting slightly weird ever since his duel with Jounochi over the strange scepter with the red jewel, but he knows that Seto was never into divination or those who could predict the future.

"...It's nothing," Seto hastily answers. "But, Reiji…" He turns to the eldest acolyte. "Please see to it that you keep a close eye on the Kame Game Shop for the time being."

"Why that place?" asks Reiji. "Aside from the fact that it houses your well-known rival and all."

"Trust me, you'll see in time," Seto replies. "Now that we have that out of the way, we have to get going Mokuba."

"What for?" asks Mokuba. "Is someone trying to hack the Kaiba Corp. database again?"

"No, you have school in about half an hour and I can't let you miss class, now can I?"

"The same goes to you Leon," says Siegfried, smiling at his own younger brother. "Let's go."

"Awww…"

As the two sets of brothers begin to leave, Bel looks down at her chocolate croissant, trying to make sense of everything. The World, Demise, Lillie, an unopenable book...what did it all mean?

And better yet, why are they all calling out for her?

"Bel," says Natsume, approaching the worried girl. "You know that if you have anything troubling you, you can always tell us. We're family, you know."

"Family"...the word to describe the Dark Signers seems awkward whenever Bianca hears it, but ever since her resurrection, she has had nowhere to go. Would her father accept her as she is right now? Or her cousin, Jun? She shakes her head to get the thoughts out of her mind as she looks to Natsume.

"I...I got an email from a strange girl named Lillie," she begins. "I think she's from 'The World'. But…"

"But?" Natsume raises an eyebrow before she turns to Noah, who has also become curious of the conversation. Bel shakes her head.

"It's probably nothing," she takes the chocolate croissant into her hand and takes a bite. After swallowing, she continues. "But...I feel a connection to her. Like she was crying for help. She wouldn't give me that book without any reason."

"What book?" asks Nagi. "This is the first time I've heard of such things."

"Bel woke up with a strange book from the game," Shooti explains. "However, we can't get it to open. It's a strange tome, and the marking on its cover is something we'll have to research for later…"

"We'll learn more when we go to the Aether Foundation tomorrow," says Kamitsure. "Everyone, let's finish breakfast then prepare what we need. Bel, we can all count on you on helping us set up accounts, correct?"

"It's pretty easy," Bel smiles. "And 'The World' can be quite addicting once you know what to do."

"But you'll need to buy the headsets in order to see into the game," Shooti notes. "Although, considering how much money we can conjure up, that's not going to be trouble at all."

"Can I see you play, Kamitsure-san?" asks Molly, her eyes wide as she rushes to the older girl. Kamitsure smiles and pats the little girl's head.

"Of course you can, sweetheart," she says. "You won't be seeing us for a while after that, so it's the least we can do."

"Yay!" Molly happily hugs Kamitsure as the others look on in concern. Wataru looks at the card in his hand and narrows his eyes.

 _This monster..._ He thinks to himself. _I know I've seen this before…_

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

In Domino City, underneath the shade of a large tree, a figure dressed in black takes a bite out of the crepe in his hand before tossing the wax paper it is wrapped in over his shoulders. He narrows his eyes as he sees a large white building in the distance before pulling out a picture from his pocket. The picture depicts him and a young girl in white, the two smiling at the camera while surrounded by a myriad of Kuriboh plushies. He pockets the picture once more before closing his eyes.

 _Lillie..._ The figure thinks to himself. _Please give me a little more courage…_

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

 _ **The stage is about to be set, and our Dark Signers are heading off to a world they cannot comprehend, one that is hiding various secrets that if unleashed, will spell trouble to Domino, and perhaps the entire world.**_

 _ **Coming up next, the night before the trip to the Aether Foundation, Bianca stumbles upon a wannabe warrior who will give away the location of a secret area in The World in exchange for one thing...a challenge.**_

" _ **Trick-or-Treat" coming soon.**_


	2. Trick-or-Treat

_**Ever since I (indirectly) died by the hands of my abusive father, I've received a lot of changes in me.**_

 _ **For one thing, I don't have a need for food or rest (although I still partake in it both to make me appear "normal" and so that I don't have to rely on Ascilla piscu all the time). My vision is much better so I don't end up being called a klutz by everyone and their grandma (although I still wear fake glasses because they are a reminder of my previous life). I don't breathe nor do I feel the cold or heat (which is good since the weather can get a bit extreme), my reflexes, speed and strength are on superhuman levels, and I also gained the power to see into the future. Most people would (metaphorically) kill to be in my place…**_

 _ **But considering how I had to die in order to become a Dark Signer, it still makes me shudder.**_

 _ **I don't deserve to be resurrected by Ascilla piscu; I think she only feels pity for me because of how young and innocent I was at the time. I don't want pity-pity didn't make my dad a better man, now did it?**_

 _ **I can't be blaming anyone, or anything, for this situation but myself. After all, I was the one who wished to not die and to see the world, wasn't I? I was the one who got myself killed sneaking out at night only to find with an irate, and drunk, father threateinf me with how he would strangle me to death before I escaped and git killed through vehicular manslaughter. I deserve to be in this state, but at least it keeps me far away from that alcoholic bastard.**_

 _ **My wish is about to come true, as I'm about to see 'The World' with my very own eyes…**_

 _ **This time, however, I know that there's something that lurks beneath it…**_

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

 **1st Gate**

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

 **Trick-or-Treat**

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

One benefit of being a Dark Signer is the ability to summon portals to teleport anywhere you want to through the shadows. All you have to do is imagine the place in your mind, have stalwart concentration, then let the shadows so their work.

This is how Bel quickly makes it to Domino City International School-all dressed up in her school uniform of an orange blazer and dark green skirt-before the bell rings, alongside Shooti, Noah and Jun. To the normal eye, the four are close friends who are preparing for homework, PE and school lunches...

But to those who know who they really are, they can tell just from the look in their eyes that there is much more on their mind than report cards and test results.

During 2nd Period, which is English and thus Bel's favorite subject, the usually attentive student when it comes to vocabulary, grammar and literature, is absolutely quiet, her mind thinking about this morning's incident with Leon and Mokuba, Lillie, the book, the invitation by the Aether Foundation...she is so caught up with it, that she does not hear a voice calling out for her for quite some time.

 _ **Bel...Bel...**_ The voice whispers like a night breeze. _**Tell Me what is on your mind, my dear child…**_

Bel blinks as she hears that voice, the voice that belongs to the Earthbound Immortal that is bonded to her. She hastily looks at the book she is reading-a copy of _The Egypt_ Game, a book she has read an innumerable amount of times-before she closes her eyes, turning inward to collect herself, blocking out the entire world to properly communicate with the immortal who resurrected her.

 _Last night's incident with 'The World' is bothering me._ Bel replies back in her mind.

 _ **That was not the reaction you had when you installed the game last night. There is something else bothering you. Does it involve...that girl, perhaps?**_

 _Y...yeah, it does._

 _ **Why would it? Perhaps she is just a person roleplaying as a different character. That is the most logical explanation, correct?**_

 _Then how do you explain that book, or that Demise, King of Armageddon, appearing out of nowhere? In fact, how can you explain how the girl messaged me through my email address when we never even met before? And what about those cards…the way Wataru looked at them means that there's something off about this there's..._

"Bel? Bel?!"

"Yes?" asks Bel, snapping out of her trance. Looking at her is a young girl with light brown hair, with a bright blue ribbon pinned to the left side of her blazer. She then notices that the classroom is practically empty, indicating how much time has passed. "What is it, Serena?"

"You were in such a daydream that your friends asked me to tell you that the bell's rung and they're off to recess," Serena answers. "You're gonna join them, right?"

"Um, sure," Bel stammers as she places a bookmark at the page she's on (depicting the characters about to hold a funeral procession for a parakeet) before closing the book. "So, what are you doing tonight?"

"I'm gonna be trying out this new online game Mokuba told me about a few days ago. I'm not sure what class I'm gonna be yet, but I'm sure to have lots of fun dueling and exploring dungeons."

Bel pauses; Serena couldn't possibly be talking about…

 _ **Bel!**_ Ascilla piscu's voice screams in her mind. _**You are needed with the other Acolytes post-haste. Do not keep them waiting.**_

"I gotta get going right now, sorry about that!" Bel rapidly shouts as she rushes out of the classroom, almost bumping into another student on her way out. Serena momentarily blinks then shrugs her shoulders before walking off to find her own friends.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

After school is over for the day, Serena waits for Mokuba at the lockers as she looks through her deck. When she reaches a certain card, she smiles.

 _Can't wait to try you out in 'The World'._ She thinks before placing the card, and deck, back into her deck holder. _Won't Mokuba be surprised at what I throw at him._

"Sorry I'm late!" says Mokuba, rushing to Serena. "Ready to go?"

"Yep! Can't believe you're gonna be staying over at my place for this." The two start to walk down the hall. "It'll be pretty fun to work on our math homework then to log on to 'The World' to do some treasure hunting."

"I know! I wonder what type of surprises we're gonna get? I hope they're unexpected ones."

"Unexpected like how your brother is currently making out with Katsuya Jounochi?"

"Yeah, unexpected like how Seto is making out with WHAT THE-" Mokuba stops when he notes Serena pointing to two figures in an empty classroom. Not just two figures; one of them is Mokuba's older brother, the other is a shorter male with blond hair and amber eyes.

Currently, Katsuya Jounochi is pinned to a wall and Seto is on top, mouth pressed onto Jounochi's own, the two sharing a very heated kiss with Seto removing Jounochi's blue school jacket and dropping it to the floor. Serena drags Mokuba to a wall all while she has her cellphone out to record this.

"Oh, this is gonna be nice," Serena chuckles, watching the act of boys' love in front of her. Mokuba, in the meantime, is turning red like a tomato. "About time those two got together, huh?"

"I can't unsee this…." Mokuba mutters, covering his face with his hands. "Please kill me, Serena."

"No, I can't. You're gonna be needed so you can report any more of these 'make-out sessions' and more," Serena grins. She hides behind a corner when she thinks the two are taking a long breath. She stops the recording and saves it before slipping her cellphone into her backpack. "Come on, let's get to my house so we can get onto 'The World'."

 _Someone kill me now..._ Mokuba thinks to himself, all while Serena starts humming a tune.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Back in the Dark Signers' Sanctuary (disguised as a normal mansion and only accessible to those who knows its password), Bianca is in her room working on her math homework, where the subject is about Absolute Values. Math is her second best subject, but right now her mind is too focused on how she's going to the Aether Foundation tomorrow to 'play-test' 'The World' and try to uncover what's truly going on.

"The sooner you get this done, the better," Shooti notes from across the table, having given up on Math to focus on his Science homework. "You need help with that?"

"I'm fine," Bel pouts, hastily closing her textbook. She lets out a sigh as she pushes her schoolwork aside and replaces it with her laptop. "I'm gonna see if anything's been posted about that strange girl in white on the messageboards."

"You do that…" Shooti replies, reading his textbook in regards to energy. "Don't be too surprised about Kamitsure scolding you if she finds out you're going online again…"

Bel doesn't reply as she quickly enters the website for 'The World' and clicks on the link to the message boards. She scans the posts quickly (another benefit of being a Dark Signer) but, after five minutes, she finds nothing related to the girl except how many speculate that she's probably a hidden NPC more than anything else.

So, if that's the case, then it looks like she'll have to go online and figure out if she can find some clues herself.

As Bel picks up the VR headset and slips it over her eyes, she glances at the book from this morning, wondering if she should mention it on the Board...but then decides against it. She'll just figure it out after they go to the Aether Foundation tomorrow.

She stares at the Login screen for a moment, then presses "Enter". Then, there is only darkness.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

 **The World: Delta Server, Port Town Alto Mare**

Bianca opens her eyes and finds herself in Alto Mare, a city based off of Venice itself. In front of her is a set of stairs that lead to a bridge where, underneath it, is a set of canals and gondoliers that will lead players to the various shops that the city has to offer. The sky is a bright orange, at the time of twilight, which is Bianca's favorite time of the day.

She looks down, making sure everything is on her: her black cloak with the image of an orange hummingbird, her weapon strapped to her back, her Duel Disk that is designed to look like a black hummingbird, her without her glasses on...yes, everything is all here.

Standing in front of the Chaos Gate, she notices a warrior, a girl, with a large broadsword strapped to her back looking around nervously. The female warrior is dressed in white armor with black trim and decorated with the imagery of black roses and thorns all across her arms and legs. Her short blond hair even has a black rose barrette holding it back. The most notable thing about her is the Duel Disk colored black and orange.

The warrior notices Bianca staring at her and blinks. She then straightens herself and points her sword.

"Hey, you there!" she shouts, approaching Bianca. "Why are you staring at me like that?!"

"Um...wh-" Bianca starts. The female warrior sighs.

"You're being very rude, you know," The warrior continues. "You're not supposed to hog the Chaos Gate all for yourself!"

Bianca looks in confusion before turning around and realizing where she is standing. The warrior stares at her before realizing her attitude.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she says. "I'm being the rude one now. Let me introduce myself. I'm BlackRose if you couldn't tell. And you're…"

"Bianca," Bianca answers, bowing toward the warrior. "You're a Heavy Blade, then?"

"Yep! It was suggested by my good friend, Moku...I mean, Alighieri. Yeah, he's gonna be logging in soon so we can go on an adventure in-"

"Wait, you know Alighieri?!" Bianca interrupts, having a pretty good idea just who she is talking to. "I know him too! He took me to a dungeon last night."

"Well ain't that a coinky-dink?" BlackRose smirks. "You know, I've been hearing rumors of a strange cathedral held within this world; it's supposed to hold a _very_ rare secret."

Bianca blinks, recalling Lillie and the strange book. Could the cathedral be a clue to…

"I could tell you all I know, but I'm gonna need something in return…" BlackRose points to her Duel Disk. "While I'm waiting for Alighieri to log on, why don't we pass the time with a duel?"

"Well…" Bianca pauses. Surely this girl could be lying, but what if she isn't? And if she knows Alighieri, then Bianca can trust this warrior...right?

Without having much of a choice, Bianca nods her head. "All right, let's have a duel."

"Great! Let's take a gondola to the dueling grounds and we'll have our fight there." BlackRose begins to walk off. "I'll see you in a few minutes; I wanna have a look around, first."

"All right then," says Bianca, watching the warrior walk off. As she does, she decides to take a break and logs out of the game...

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

To find Kamitsure standing over her.

"Having fun, Bel?" Kamitsure smirks, arms folded over her chest.

"Um, I guess?" Bel stammers. Shooti, briefly looking up from his reading book ( _Cirque Du Freak #1_ from what Bel can see) gives her a smirk before returning to his reading. Kamitsure sits down and laughs.

"What did you find out this time?" she asks.

"Um, well there's a player who knows Mok-um, Alighieri and might know a hidden location in the game," Bel answers. "But she won't give it to me unless I duel her."

"You can duel in 'The World?'" Kamitsure raises an eyebrow. "Interesting…"

"Yeah!" Bel nods her head. "Say, since we won't be dueling yet...maybe you and the others can get your accounts ready and log in for the first time. You can be my audience and see how much I've improved in my dueling skills."

"Excellent idea!" Kamitsure stands up and begins to walk off. "I'll tell the others; send us a friend request when we reach the..." She pauses at the door and turns her head around. "What was that again?"

"Chaos Gate?"

"Yes, that's it. I think we're all going to have a lot of fun there..."

As she walks off, Bel lets out a sigh of relief (or at least mimes it, since she's dead) as Shooti places his book down.

"I can't believe she didn't scold you for that!" he exclaims. "Now I _really_ want to go see you actually duel there!"

"You're gonna need an account and VR set for that," Bel replies, playfully sticking her tongue out to him as she begins to log back onto the world.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

"So, Serena," says Mokuba, returning from the bathroom to see his friend on her laptop in the living room. "How do you like the game so far?"

"I already met up with a girl named 'Bianca' and I'm challenging her to a duel," Serena answers. Mokuba flinches. "Yeah, she told me you took her to a dungeon last night. Don't worry, I didn't reveal your real identity to her."

 _That's not what I'm worried about..._ Mokuba thinks as he sits down next to Serena. He then prepares his laptop and connects the VR headset as he waits for 'The World' to load.

"So," says Serena. "This game lets me create a virtual construct of my deck with no additional fees, right?"

"Most of the cards can be bought with in-game currency, obtaining them in dungeons, or by trading with others," Mokuba answers. He notices the screen of Serena's laptop depicting various Duel Monster cards, most of them cards Serena owns in real life. "You're not giving yourself a Rose theme deck?"

"I'd feel like I was lying to myself if I didn't have my buddies with me. Now...time to get into that dueling arena…"

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

 **The World: Delta Server, Port Town Alto Mare**

"So, this is Alto Mare…" says Winona, looking at her surroundings. She hears people walking on the roads and the gentle splash of water from gondolas floating in the canals. If it was possible, she would breathe the air and sigh. "Reminds me of my piloting days..."

"Whoo!" says Korina, looking around. "This reminds me of our honeymoon, Elesa! Remember when we went on a gondola and feasted on cheese and wine underneath the moonlight?"

"Of course," Elesa smiles, playfully stroking underneath Korina's chin. "Of course I _also_ remember what we did after the ride was over."

"Calm down," Sabrina sighs as the group walks toward the gondolas. "We can't be blowing our cover just yet."

"Still though," says Wallace, seeing various players running around the area. Some are approaching the shops, others are exchanging greetings or items in their inventories. "You have to admit that the Aether Foundation puts a lot of work into this."

Lance just nods his head as he tries to look around more. Being connected to the Condor Earthbound Immortal gives him excellent vision, letting him see farther than his fellow Dark Signers. So far, he sees nothing out of the ordinary.

"So, there you are," says a familiar voice.

The six look to find Bianca approaching them, a big smile on her face. The group is dressed in their black Dark Signer outfits (very easy to do since character customization is very extensive here) as they see two other figures behind them, BlackRose and Alighieri.

"Whoa!" says BlackRose, noticing the black-dressed players. "Are you all part of some Guild here?"

"I guess you can say that," says Wallace, approaching BlackRose. He takes her hand and lifts it to give a kiss. "And roses? How romantic..."

"In appearance, yes. In Duel Monsters...sorry, but I don't carry a Black Rose Dragon, if that's what you're implying," BlackRose chuckles.

"So," says Alighieri. "Is everyone ready to go?"

The group nods their heads as Alighieri motions to a few gondolas and they all seat themselves in. The gondoliers silently brow across the canal as Alighieri notices Sabrina staring at him with an all-knowing look in her eye. It makes him squirm slightly and he's glad that BlackRose is too enthralled with The World to see it.

"So," Alighieri begins. "Could you tell me more about this…'guild' that Bianca seems to be a part of?"

There is some silence as Lance contemplates on an explanation. Then, he folds his hands over his lap and begins to weave his tale.

"We are simply called the Dark Signers," Lance begins. "Chosen by the Earthbound Immortals to guard over the world and from the darkness that hides in people's souls. We were all resurrected by them, each of us desiring a new life and gave up our souls for this cause.

"There are seven Immortals in all: Spider, Hummingbird, Monkey, Lizard, Giant, Whale and Condor. Each of them were created as the servants to the Dark King of the Afterlife who slumbers in his tomb in the Lost City of Hamunaptra, awaiting the day that the veil between this world and the realm of darkness opens. They were all sealed, waiting for the right sacrifice for each of them to reawaken, one soul per Immortal.

"They were unleashed during an incident when someone calling himself the 'Speaker of the Dead' threatened to unleash an army of darkness from the depths of Hamunaptra on to Earth five millennia ago, and they clung to the souls of the dying, those who had the will to live and to change the world how they saw fit. After the original Dark Signers passed on, the seven God-like beings spread out to find others to revive and darkness to feed on.

"To clarify, every Dark Signer awakens after death, giving away something of great importance to them in order to be reborn in exchange. The Immortal chooses their vessel based on their desire to live and any qualities the Immortal finds beneficial to their cause and each Immortal bestows a certain power on whoever is contracted to them. The Immortal and Dark Signer have a mission to hunt after the darkness in people's souls, going after those patterned by a particular sin. For example, the Immortal of the Condor feeds on the souls who are filled with pride that lets them believe that they can walk all over their fellow man. The Spider feeds on those filled with wrath, the Giant watches over those filled with burning desire, and so on and so forth.

"By doing this, the Earthbound Immortals hope that, with enough darkness purged from people's hearts, they would be able to reawaken their Creator from his slumber and open the Gates of Hamunaptra once more.

"Should the Earthbound Immortals be successful in their task, the King shall open his eyes and usher a new era of dreams to all who follow him. Until then, we Dark Signers continue our duties until the Immortals deem us worthy of passing onto the next world."

Alighieri stays quiet, trying to process all of the information about the figures he has met earlier this morning staring right at him looking so normal all while BlackRose stares at the group in awe, her lower jaw drops in shock before she closes her mouth and unleashes a broad grin.

"...That is such an _awesome_ backstory for your characters!" BlackRose exclaims, her blue eyes wide as she sees the Dueling Grounds approaching, depicted as a replica of the famous Roman Coliseum flanked with statues of Gladiator Beasts (something that Korina is ecstatic about). "Ooh, you guys should _definitely_ submit that to the Aether Foundation and see if they can make a campaign out of it."

"We certainly will," Winona replies as the group rise and step into the docks, the gondolas continuing to row until they disappear when they turn a corner. "And look, it appears we have arrived."

The dueling grounds show various players dueling, lost in their battles to not even notice the group of nine approaching an empty section. Bianca gulps; out of the Dark Signers, she has the least experience dueling (back when she was alive, her father refused to let her even touch a card, let alone play the game) and made herself look like a total idiot when she first used a Duel Disk against Korina.

Still, she has improved ever since her initiation into the Dark Signers. She just hopes it's enough to fight BlackRose.

"So," Bianca begins. "What type of deck do you use, BlackRose?"

"You'll see when we start dueling. Now, take your place, draw your cards and get ready." BlackRose's mouth turns into a grin as she walks to the opposite end of the court, Alighieri following her. If Bianca can breathe, she will do so to stop her (no longer) beating heart and calm her nerves.

"Go get her!" Korina cheers, taking her spot to the side where she and the other Dark Signers take their seats on some benches. "You can do it!"

Bianca does her best to smile and wave at the small audience as she prepares her Duel Disk. Meanwhile, Alighieri moves to the benches to act as the referee.

"Are you both ready?" he asks. The two girls nod their heads.

"Always," BlackRose answers with confidence. She draws her five cards and smirks. "So let me give you a warning before we start.

"Duelist beware... you're in for a scare!"

Bianca's eyes widen slightly. She knows a student at school who states that phrase before a duel commences and the type of deck they use. She can now confirm who 'BlackRose' is without doubt.

"Um…" Bianca stammers, drawing her cards, trying to find a catchy phrase to say (which is ironic, since she is in the Drama Club and one of her best talents is improvisation). Looking at her hand, an idea clicks in her mind. "Don't get too cocky, BlackRose. Because...because your fate is mine to decide!"

"Let's duel!" Both girls shout.

 **(BlackRose: 8000) - - - - - - - (Bianca: 8000)**

"Not bad," Sabrina notes. "But can she back up her claim so easily?"

"She better," Lance answers. "If she loses, it's going to look like a bad omen for tomorrow."

"I'll go first," says BlackRose, drawing a card. "And I'll just send one card face-down and end it there. You're up."

 _I have to be extra careful._ Bianca thinks as she draws a card. _Ghostrick monsters are known for putting cards face-down and taking advantage of that._ She looks at her hand. _I have to make sure that she can't swarm the field so quickly, not to mention that the cards I've drawn aren't good enough to fight against her monsters. Time for a change of hand._

"I play Card Destruction!" she says, playing the Spell Card. "Now we both have to send our hands to the graveyard and draw until we have the same number of cards that we discarded."

 _What? No!_ BlackRose thinks to herself as she stares at her hand. _And I had both Ghostrick Yeti and Mary in this hand too! Okay, this has gotten serious._

Both girls discard and draw five new cards. Bianca fans her cards out and smirks.

"I hope you weren't planning on playing the numbers game on me," she says. "I'll play my Field Spell Card, Future Visions so that all monsters that are Normal Summoned are Banished until the controlling duelist's next Standby Phase."

 _That's bad..._ BlackRose thinks, watching as the field turns into a multicolored realm depicting various landscapes around her. _I can't use Ghostrick Mummy or Stein's effects if I try to play them...well not_ immediately _anyway._

"Next," Bianca continues. "I'll summon Fortune Lady Light on the field in Attack Mode!"

In a burst of light, a yellow dressed witch with a bobcut and black wings perched on her head materializes. She waves at BlackRose before drawing her weapon, a black staff topped with a glowing yellow crystal. (200 ATK)

"Fortune Ladies, huh?" asks BlackRose. "I heard of them, but I've never seen anyone use those in a duel before. Mind filling me in?"

"I'm glad you asked," Bianca answers. "First off, Fortune Ladies have their Attack and Defense Points determined by their level and they increase their level by 1 during my Standby Phase. For my Fortune Lady Light, she gains 200 points for Attack and Defense per level.

"But her ability is what makes her special. When she gets Banished, I can Special Summon another 'Fortune Lady' from my deck onto the field."

"Then that means…" BlackRose cannot finish her sentence as Fortune Lady Light vanishes.

"My next Fortune Lady takes the stage," Bianca finishes. "Presenting my powerful Level 5 Fortune Lady Dark who gains 400 Attack and Defense Points per level!"

Fortune Lady Dark rises from a pillar of shadows, dressed in black and holding a similar staff like the one Fortune Lady Light wields, topped with a purple crystal. (2000 ATK)

"And since she was a Special Summon, she doesn't get Banished by Future Visions," Bianca notes, seeing BlackRose flinch. "Now Fortune Lady Dark, destroy her monster!"

Fortune Lady Dark raises her staff into the air before a burst of dark magic forms. She then brings it down, a large orb of magic fired at BlackRose's monster, a purple dressed monster with a matching hat, wearing a string of orange beads around its neck and a paper talisman covering its face. (1600 DEF)

"By flipping Ghostrick Jiangshi face-up, I can take a 'Ghostrick' monster from my deck to my hand whose level is equal to the number of 'Ghostrick' monsters I control," says BlackRose. "And not only that, when a Ghostrick monster I control is sent to the graveyard, I can choose to Set that very same monster, Ghostrick Specter, onto the field, which lets me draw a card."

Ghostrick Jiangshi screams as he is destroyed while BlackRose sets one card face-down then draws another one.

"You just saved yourself from another attack," says Bianca. "You see, if any of my Fortune Lady monsters successfully sends a monster you control to the graveyard so long as Fortune Lady Dark is on the field, I can Special Summon another 'Fortune Lady' monster from my graveyard. And the one I choose is the level 6 Fortune Lady Earth!"

Rising from pillars of earth is the orange dressed Fortune Lady wearing a pair of glasses that magnifies her amber eyes. (2400 ATK)

"Now Fortune Lady Earth, attack!"

Fortune Lady Earth twirls her staff before summoning a series of thorny vines that destroy the monster, an adorable ghost with a big grin on his face. (0 DEF)

"I'll end this two cards face-down," says Bianca, slipping a card into her Duel Disk. "That's it."

"Not bad," says BlackRose, staring at her hand (which isn't the worst she has had, but it could have been much better). "Ghostrick monsters can't be Normal Summoned unless there's another one already in play, but Special Summoning bypasses that, right?"

Bianca says nothing as she watches BlackRose play Monster Reborn while Ghostrick Specter appears once more. (0 DEF)

"I think we need to move to a new location," BlackRose notes. "And I have the card to do that. I activate Ghostrick Mansion!"

Future Visions vanishes as the scenery transforms into a spooky manor covered in dust and cobwebs.

 _At least it's better than my last home..._ Bianca thinks to herself.

"Ooh, not good…" Elesa notes. "As long as that's in the field, any damage Bianca will inflict will only be halved." She then smirks. "I wonder how she'll get out of this one."

"And now that I have a at least one Ghostrick monster out," BlackRose continues. "I won't make the mistake of not playing them sooner. And what better way to bring them up by using Ghostrick Mummy to let me summon another one?"

The first Ghostrick monster to appear is a mummy that lets out a guffaw at Bianca's monsters. (1500 ATK) The second one is a monster with a pumpkin for a head, wearing a blue tattered cloak and matching witch hat while carrying a glowing lantern in hand (0 DEF).

"And with two Level 1 monsters out, I can lay out an Overlay Network to summon the Guardian of the Ghostrick monsters, Ghostrick Dullahan!"

Both Ghostrick Specter and Lantern leap into the air before swirling around and round. Then, with a flash of lightning, a new monster appears, depicted as a headless knight dressed in black armor and riding a white horse with glowing red eyes. The knight's weapon is a dark sword with a curved blade that he points at Bianca. (1000 ATK)

"Why would BlackRose Xyz Summon that instead of Alucard?" asks Wallace. "Everyone knows that Alucard would be the better choice."

"I'm glad you asked," BlackRose answers. "First off, Ghostrick Dullahan gains 200 Attack Points for every Ghostrick card on the field. There are three of them right now: Ghostrick Mansion, Ghostrick Mummy and, of course, himself."

Ghostrick Dullahan's steed whinnies as the headless knight is surrounded by a purple aura. (1000 -) 1600 ATK)

"And, to make sure that I can bypass your monsters easily, I'll play Swords of Concealing Light to set all your monsters face-down for two turns and let me attack you directly!"

"Hold up!" says Bianca. "You can attack me _directly_ even with my monsters face-down?"

"Yep! That's one of the effects of my Ghostrick Mansion that we can utilize. The downside is that we can't target face-down monsters in battle, but it's a proper trade-off, no?"

A Spell Card depicting three black swords with a skull in the center materializes. Then, these very same swords rain down and trap Bianca's monsters.

"You activated my Trap Card," says Bianca. "I activate Bending Destiny!"

Bianca's card lifts up, depicting a man looking at a long and winding road in front of him. Then, Swords of Concealing Light vanishes.

"Hey!" BlackRose exclaims. "What did you do to my card?"

"When I activate this card, it banishes the Spell, Trap or Normal Summoned Monster you played until your End Phase when it goes back into your hand," Bianca answers. "So I just bought myself time."

"Not bad," BlackRose muses, "But this means I'll have to fall back in Plan B.

"You see, once during our turns, I can remove an Xyz Material on Ghostrick Dullahan to cut one of your monster's attack score in half. And I think Earthy here needs it badly."

Sending a card to the graveyard, BlackRose points towards Fortune Lady Earth as Ghostrick Dullahan charges toward her, his sword slicing her through her torso. (2400 -) 1200 ATK)

"And now, let's get her for real! Ghostrick Dullahan...do the thing!"

Ghostrick Dullahan slices Fortune Lady Earth once more, but this time she shatters, taking some of Bianca's lifepoints with her.

 **(BlackRose: 8000) - - - - - - -(Bianca: 7600)**

"Not bad," Bianca notes. "But she won't be in the graveyard for long…"

Activating her face-down card, Miracle's Wake, Bianca watches as her strongest Fortune Lady rises once more. (2400 ATK)

BlackRose snarls and ends her turn with a face-down card. Because of this, she soon has her Swords of Concealing Light returned to her hand while Bianca draws a card.

 _No matter how I look at it, I'll have no choice but to risk Fortune Lady Earth being destroyed if I want to clear the field._ Bianca thinks to herself, looking at her hand. _At least I'll be able to get a few new cards along the way._

"It's my Standby Phase," Bianca begins. "And that means Fortune Lady Dark and Fortune Lady Earth gain a level now."

Two signs flash over the Fortune Ladies: LV 6 for Fortune Lady Dark (2400 ATK) and LV 7 for Fortune Lady Earth (2800 ATK).

"And whenever Fortune Lady Earth gains a Level, she can inflict 400 points of damage to your lifepoints!"

"Normally she would," BlackRose agrees. "But with Ghostrick Mansion on the field, damage from card effects and attacks from all non-'Ghostrick' monsters get cut in half."

"What?!"

Fortune Lady Earth spins her staff then strikes it onto the ground. A trail of spikes race towards BlackRose and strikes her feet, causing her to flinch.

 **(BlackRose: 7800) - - - - - - - (Bianca: 7600)**

"Well then," says Bianca. "I'll play Fortune's Future to return my Banished Fortune Lady Light to the graveyard and draw two cards in the process."

A Spell Card depicting Fortune Lady Fire and two gold cards appears as Bianca places her Level 1 Fortune Lady back to the grave, then draws two cards.

"And with Fortune Lady Light back, I'll start off another combo by summoning Kinka-Byo onto the field!"

A white cat appears on the field looking adorable and cat-like. Then, its shadow lengthens and lets out a large bowl as it reveals two purple eyes. (400 ATK)

"That's a bad sign," says Alighieri. "With that on the field, Bianca can Special Summon a Level 1 monster from her graveyard, like Fortune Lady Light, onto the field…"

Which happens. (200 ATK)

"And since Kinka-Byo is a Spirit monster, that means he'll just go back to her hand and…"

"Don't spoil it for me," BlackRose interrupts, turning to Alighieri. "I'm gonna learn this anyhow."

"And it's time for me to attack!" says Bianca. "Fortune Lady Earth, go for Dullahan!"

Fortune Lady Earth stabs her weapon onto the ground as stalagmites rise around the headless knight.

"Did you forget about my Dullahan's ability?" Asks BlackRose, removing Ghostrick Dullahan's last Xyz Material.

Fortune Lady Earth's spell weakens (1400 ATK) as Ghostrick Dullahan throws his sword into her chest, shattering her again.

 **(BlackRose: 7800) - (Bianca: 7400)**

"I didn't," Bianca answers. "But did you forget that as long as Fortune Lady Dark stands, I'll just revive her when she destroys a monster?"

If Ghostrick Dullahan had a head, he would begin to sweat as Fortune Lady Dark smirks before flying toward her target and unleashing her attack at point-blank range.

 **(BlackRose: 7400) - - - - - - - (Bianca: 7500)**

"Ghostrick Dullahan has one more trick left," says BlackRose. "When he's sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Ghostrick' monster from my graveyard onto the field face-down."

A face-down monster appears in front of BlackRose while Fortune Lady Earth rises from the grave for a second time. (2400 ATK)

"Now let me try this again," says Bianca, pointing to a slightly nervous Ghostrick Mummy biting his nails.

Fortune Lady Earth unleashes a barrage of stalagmites at the mummy all while BlackRose smiles.

"I'm gonna flip this around with Ghostrick-Go-Round!" She says, activating her face-down card.

"What exactly does that card do?" asks Winona seeing the Continuous Trap Card depicting Ghostrick Skeleton spinning round and round a revolving wall, his bones on the floor as his fellow Ghostrick monsters (Jackfrost, Nekomusume and Lantern) look on.

"BlackRose can flip monster cards anyway she likes with it," Alighieri answers. "And if her face-down card is a Ghostrick monster, she can immediately set one of Bianca's monsters face-down."

"Exactly!" BlackRose cheers. "So, can you guess who is making a most triumphant return?"

Fortune Lady Earth flips into a face-down card as BlackRose's face-down monster (Ghostrick Jiangshi) flips up. (400 ATK) Meanwhile, BlackRose has taken another card from her deck to her hand.

"I'll end my turn at that," says Bianca. "And to finish what Alighieri said earlier, when Kinka-Byo returns to my hand, the monster Special Summoned through his effect is Banished. And remember what happens when I Banish Fortune Lady Light?"

Kinka-Byo leaps back into Bianca's hand as Fortune Lady Light vanishes from the field again. Then, in her place, a blue Fortune Lady emerges. (1200 ATK)

"And what exactly does Watery do?" asks BlackRose.

"If Fortune Lady Water gets Special Summoned, I get to draw two cards," Bianca explains, drawing two more cards to expand her hand to five. "And you're up."

"Finally," says BlackRose, drawing a card.

 _I am having some_ terrible _luck today._ She thinks, looking at her hand. _Maybe I should've gone with a Ghostrick Burn deck or a Mill one instead of the one I usually use. I'll make a note to really review the game's card catalogue next time._

"First off," says BlackRose. "I'll summon my Ghostrick Witch into the field."

With a giggle, a blond-haired girl in a black and maroon witch outfit appears, wielding a broom in her hand wrapped with a string of beads around the bristles. (1200 ATK)

"Then, I'll place Ghostrick Jiangshi as a face-down card…"

Ghostrick Jiangshi grabs his card and flips it over.

"And then I'll play my Swords of Concealing Light once more and aim for your lifepoints!"

The black swords materialize again, only this time they successfully cause all of Bianca's monsters to turn into face-down cards. Meanwhile, Ghostrick Mummy and Witch share a laugh.

"And now, let's give her a direct attack! Get her!"

Both monsters race towards Bianca, leaping over her face-down cards to give her a good punch (from Ghostrick Mummy) and good kick (from Ghostrick Witch) that causes Bianca to stagger but not fall down.

"And I'll end it with one more face-down card and end it there," BlackRose finishes. "You're up."

 _Hopefully I can use this Quaking Mirror Force just in case she manages to get through my_ _Swords of Concealing Light._ She thinks to herself.

 **(BlackRose: 7400) - - - - - - - (Bianca: 4700)**

"All right, you made me mad," says Bianca, drawing her card. There is some silence as she looks at it, before she smirks.

Lance notices that smirk, one that all Dark Signers show off when they are just one turn away from defeating a darkened soul and feeding on the sin they carry. Even if Bianca is the youngest member of the group, he knows what is to come.

"Your swords can't save you now," says Bianca. "I activate my newly drawn Mystical Space Typhoon to free my Fortune Ladies!"

BlackRose gasps as the Quickplay Spell Card fires a blue typhoon at her Swords of Concealing Light. Her Ghostrick monsters also look nervous when Bianca flips her three Fortune Ladies face-up.

"Even if you could attack me, my Ghostrick Mansion will halve the damage I take and I can use Ghostrick-Go-Round to set one of monsters down and have my Jiangshi give me another monster," BlackRose notes. "So I'll still be left standing after all is said and done."

"Not unless I destroy them first," Bianca retorts, revealing a card in her hand. "I summon LV 3 Fortune Lady Wind in Attack Mode, who gains 300 Attack and Defense Points per level!"

In a swirl of green wind, the Fortune Lady of Wind emerges with short green hair and a matching green dress. (900 ATK)

"Unlike most of my Fortune Ladies, Fortune Lady Wind's effect can only be used when she is Normal Summoned. And that effect is to destroy all Spell and Trap Cards that you control equal to the number of 'Fortune Lady' monsters I have on the field. Guess what that means?"

Fortune Lady Wind twirls her staff in the air as a tornado forms around her. Then, she brings the staff down as the tornado flies toward BlackRose's three cards, flinging them to the graveyard, all while Bianca's monsters chuckle to themselves.

"Now with that out of the way, it's time for me to play a combo of mine. I activate Time Passage to increase the Level of Fortune Lady Earth by 3!"

"Wait...that means she's Level 9 now!" BlackRose says with realization. "How many levels can these monsters go up to?"

"12," Bianca answers.

A Spell Card appears, depicting Fortune Lady Light surrounded by yellow digital numbers showing various times. Then Fortune Lady Earth grins as her level increases. (LV 9, 3600 ATK)

"And remember what happens when Fortune Lady Earth gains levels?" asks Bianca.

BlackRose does as another set of spikes inflict damage to her lifepoints.

 **(BlackRose: 7000) - - - - - - - (Bianca: 4700)**

"And the second part of my combo involves my powerful Galaxy Queen's Light Spell Card!"

Bianca's second Spell Card showcases seven various monsters surrounded by light (although if you ask Bianca what those monsters are, she won't be able to answer right away) then Fortune Lady Earth feels a soothing light around her.

"Here's how this card works," Bianca begins. "I choose a monster I control that is Level 7 or higher. Then, all monsters on my side of the field have their Levels match the one I choose. So, I pick my Level 9 Fortune Lady Earth to increase the level of **all** my other Fortune Ladies to that very. same. _amount_!"

A golden light shines over Fortune Lady Dark, Water and Wind, granting them a huge power boost. Both Wind and Water now have attack scores of 2700 while Fortune Lady Dark's attack matches Fortune Lady Earth at 3600 ATK.

"I'm gonna be honest right now…" BlackRose begins, sweat falling down the side of her face. "I _totally_ should have prepared my deck before issuing that challenge."

"Too late to take it back now!" Bianca laughs. "Fortune Lady Earth, attack Ghostrick Witch!"

Fortune Lady Earth smirks as she fires a slab of rock at her target. Ghostrick Witch only has time to close her eyes before she is sent to the graveyard.

 **(BlackRose: 4600) - - - - - - - (Bianca: 4700)**

"And next," Bianca continues. "I'll use Fortune Lady Dark's effect to Special Summon the last of my Fortune Ladies. So rise from the ashes my Level 2 Fortune Lady Fire!"

From within a plume of fire, the red colored, short haired Fortune Lady appears. (400 ATK)

"Wait a minute," says BlackRose. "When did you have that in your…" She pauses as she remembers during Bianca's first turn. Then she groans. "Oh no, that was sent there via Card Destruction, right?"

"Comes in handy since both of my Fire and water Fortune Ladies can only activate their abilities when Special Summoned," Bianca smiles. "And when Fortune Lady Fire is Special Summoned, she can destroy one face-up monster you control and inflict damage to your lifepoints equal to their Attack Points!

"So tell me, BlackRose...is your mummy a big fan of fire?"

Ghostrick Mummy's scream of terror as Fortune Lady Fire unleashes a crescent of flames at him provides the answer.

 **(BlackRose: 3100) - - - - - - - (Bianca: 4700)**

"Fortune Lady Water, attack her Jiangshi!" Says Bianca.

BlackRose doesn't even hesitate to figure out what Ghostrick monster she wants as Fortune Lady Water fires a large ice shard at her monster.

"Fortune Lady Dark attack directly!"

But just as Fortune Lady Dark is about to end the duel, a monster depicting an adorable snowman with a rainbow-colored scarf appears before becoming a face-down card, alongside Fortune Lady Dark herself.

"Huh?!" Bianca exclaims. "What did you…."

"The monster I chose from Ghostrick Jiangshi's effect was my Ghostrick Jackfrost," BlackRose answers. "I can Special Summon him face-down when I'm about to be hit with a direct attack. Doing so negates your monster's attack and sets them face-down."

"...You only saved yourself for one more turn," Bianca points out. "Fortune Lady Fire and Fortune Lady Wind, go!"

Fortune Lady Fire strikes the snowman while Fortune Lady Wind delivers a wind-fueled kick to BlackRose's mid-section, causing her to step back in pain, hand over her stomach.

 **(BlackRose: 400) - - - - - - - (Bianca: 4700)**

"I'll end my turn there," says Bianca, watching the levels of her Fortune Ladies drop to normal. "And just to remind you, you'll lose the last of your lifepoints on my next Standby Phase once Fortune Lady Earth gains a level. What do you plan to do?"

BlackRose quietly draws a card, stares at it for a few seconds…

Then closes her eyes, lets out a sigh of defeat, and places her hand over her deck.

"I surrender," she states. "You win."

 **(BlackRose: 0) - - - - - - - (Bianca: 4700)**

"This duel goes to Bianca," says Alighieri, watching the girls return their cards to their decks before he hears the sounds of applause. Turning to his left, he sees the six older Dark Signers clapped their hands at a job well done.

"She did it!" Korina cheers as she gets to her feet. "And all without using her super weapon too!"

"Not bad," Elesa chuckles. "She's improved since her last duel with us."

BlackRose sighs as she stares at a card in her hand (Ghostrick Yuki-onna) before placing it back in her deck. She will have to review the online list to see what she can are to her deck to give it more "oomph" next time.

"I guess I owe you a password then," she notes as Bianca approaches her. "But first, that Galaxy Queen's Light is a pretty nifty card. I mean, I'd never be able to use it but I bet that would be helpful in Xyz Summoning, right?"

"Yep," Bianca answers, still feeling the adrenaline from having won the duel. "Now, where exactly are we heading?"

"The Warp Gate," Alighieri answers. "Then we'll get the password, right?"

"Yep." BlackRose answers. "It's a very unique dungeon, or so I've been told."

"Then let's make haste," says Wallace as he and the other Dark Signers leave the benches. "We don't have much time now; we have a busy day tomorrow."

"Don't worry, this won't take up too much of your time," says BlackRose. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Minutes later, the group is back at the Warp Gate and BlackRose is selecting the keywords.

"Delta Server: Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground," she states to the Warp Gate.

In a series of golden rings descending through them, the nine vanish from Alto Mare.

 **(Delta Server: Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground)**

After a few seconds, Bianca opens her eyes to see the new location: a stone bridge that leads to a cathedral carved out of white marble.

It is eerily quiet; the only sound that can be heard is that of the group walking towards the doors of this majestic edifice. Carved out of white marble and basking under the light of a setting sun, it seems to hold a powerful presence inside. It feels like it is the epicenter of everything that "The World" has to offer.

"What is this…." Bianca whispers, feeling a shiver fall down her spine.

"I read some interesting articles about this place in the _Chasing Shadows_ website," BlackRose explains. "It's said that this cathedral was going to be part of the new player's introduction into 'The World' at one point."

"Really? I...I never knew about that when I logged in."

"The story goes that a girl in white would 'bless' the Chosen One to explore what is now a world without gods to unleash the end of everything," BlackRose begins. "What the player had to do was investigate certain areas that held the fragments of the Gods' powers and defeat them, using their powers to recreate the world and usher in the Human Age, an age where mankind was free to choose their own destiny, away from the bickering immortals who were all-powerful but also hot-headed and immature for beings of their standing."

Bianca stares at BlackRose and tries to imagine her as Serena at school who, while an above average student, is more into the stories of monsters instead of mythology. As she continues to envision BlackRose dressed as Serena in her school uniform energetically talking about a horror movie she watched recently, Sabrina approaches the white armored girl.

"Seeing as there's lots of references to Ragnarok, it is assumed that mythology was involved in the game's lore, correct?" she asks.

BlackRose nods her head. "It's been said that the inspiration for this game came from this epic poem that was posted online a few years back. The poem tells how the forces of light and darkness would clash against what was called the 'Cursed Wave'.

"The strange thing is that no one can find its original copy now. Apparently, it was posted on the author's website a long time ago, but it was incapable of being printed, downloaded or all that's left are translations of fragments people bothered to type by hand then post online."

"What exactly was this poem called?" asks Lance, feeling a sense of dread from his Earthbound Immortal creep into his body. If there was something that bothered an Earthbound Immortal….

"It was said to be called it the 'Epitaph of Twilight'," BlackRose answers. "That's all I could dig up before I decided to check 'The World' out. Now come on, let's see what this place has to…"

In the time it takes for her speak, the Dark Signers have gone ahead to the large double doors. In fact, they move so swiftly, it's like they teleported. Alighieri says nothing as he leads his friend across the bridge toward the cathedral itself. BlackRose realizes this as she and Alighieri quickly ask for the group to wait for them to catch up.

It doesn't take long to reach the Dark Signers, as Elesa (a Twin Blade) swiftly ends the life of an unexpected knife-wielding goblin before BlackRose looks around her in awe.

The marble floor is a dark green color, there are many pews for people to pray and ask for guidance, stained glass windows that depicts the story written in the so-called "Epitaph of Twilight" gave a sense of wonder and power, like one would feel if they look into the face of God. Above their heads in marble arches were statues of angels, staring down at the Dark Signers as if judging their damned souls (not that they care for digital representations of them anyway)

The most prominent object in the cathedral is a statue of a young girl bound by chains with a stone tablet carved with names beneath her feet. It looks as if someone was given picture of a girl from a 'Missing' poster, a grey color that only highlights the solemn look on her face, with the chains around her making her feel that she is to be resigned to her fate.

Wallace is the first to notice this, having an artistic eye that can catch details one can easily miss, and approaches it. Bianca follows him and slightly gasps...the statue has an uncanny resemblance to Lillie!

"Skeith...Innis...Magus…" Lance reads, looking at the tablet. "I know I've heard these names before…."

"She looks so sad…" BlackRose mumbles. "Seeing her up close and personal feels so…"

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

The group turns to see someone staring at the entrance to the cathedral. It is a warrior in black armor and matching helm lined with gold, four spikes mounted on his shoulders and a red cape flowing behind his back. Removing the black faceplate reveals a stern face with gold eyes that pierce into their souls.

"Who are you?" asks Alighieri.

"It's none of your concern," The black knight answers as he begins to walk towards them. "This place is…"

He has no time to finish his sentence as a monster from the ceiling crashes down!

The ten players look in shock...it is a Headless Knight, identifiable by its white armor and gold trim. The black knight summons his weapon, a serrated sword that shares its master's color scheme as he strikes the monster with one blow….

At least, that's what is supposed to happen. Instead a barrier composed of green hexagons forms around it, protecting it from the warrior's attacks.

"What's going on?" asks BlackRose. "Shouldn't it be dead?"

"It's a bug with a computer virus in its programming," comes the answer. "It's rewriting its data... its health has gone up to infinite!"

It's true. No matter how much the knight attacks, the monster still stands. With a kick, the knight falls back, crashing into a pew.

"You have to run!" says the knight. "You'll be sent into a coma if it touches you!"

"He's right," says Lance. "Everyone, Gate Out!"

But before the command can be entered, the knight lunges forward, sword heading toward BlackRose who, while panicking, tries her best to parry the blow. Unfortunately, her timing is off and it seems as if the whole world is slowing down.

"BlackRose!" Alighieri shouts, racing toward her. "No!"

Just as the knight is about to attack, Bianca can hear a voice in her mind.

 _The book...open the book…_

! Bianca has no idea where that voice is coming from. It seems familiar though...

 _The power it holds can bring either salvation or destruction at the whim of the user._

When Bianca opens her eyes, she finds a book floating in front of her. Not just any book...it is the same one from last night, and it opens by itself!

Bianca has no time to react as streams of light burst through the pages, constricting her body as she feels energy seep into her body. She shouldn't be feeling pain at all, but it feels like the data is _fusing itself_ into her very being.

The feeling doesn't last long though. It spreads out towards her fellow Dark Signers (who are rushing to save BlackRose from being the next coma victim) as she notices something glowing around her right wrist...a strange bracelet that has similar hexagons to the monster's barrier. Maybe…

Bianca finds herself back at the cathedral as she brings her arm out, the bracelet unfolding into a ring surrounded by a cluster of crystals (reminding her of the Ring of Defense Spell Card). Without hesitation, she watches black streams of data pierce through Headless Knight before it absorbs the corruption and withdraws back to Bianca, who winces slightly as the bracelet folds back and vanishes.

With the barrier down, Winona (a Long Arm) and Korina (a Heavy Axeman) waste little time to defeat the monster, the knight fading away into nothing as Alighieri helps BlackRose stand up. Meanwhile, the black knight has recovered.

"What did you just do?" He asks Bianca. Bianca looks at her arm as if she has just gotten it sewn back on.

"I...I don't know myself…" she answers.

The black knight raises a gloved hand and covers half of his face with it, his gold eyes closed in thought. Then, he opens them.

"Whatever it was, that's the same power that's caused all of the trouble here," he says, lowering his hand. He leans toward Bianca. "I'll be keeping an eye on you...and the _rest_ of your brood."

He walks off as Bianca looks to see if the bracelet shall manifest itself once more. When it doesn't, she instead stares at the statue of Lillie.

"What did he mean by that?" asks Sabrina, turning to Alighieri. "Have you seen him before?"

"No," Alighieri answers. "But if I see him again, I'll ask what's going on."

"That was freaky, though," Korina notes. "I mean, I know games have bugs and all that, but bugs that can lead people into comas? Talk about sick."

"Things have just gotten interesting," Elesa smirks.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

"That was quite mature of you, Haou, the Supreme King of the Sacred Darkness," A calm woman's voice remarks to Haou as he stands in front of the entrance to the cathedral.

Haou looks up and sees a strange woman in a white priest's garb standing on the rooftop of the cathedral, a staff topped with two rings in her hands. Her eyes are obscured by a gold visor with red lens. Her lips are a shade of black, as if it kissed the shadows. Haou snarls.

"Leave me be," he says. "I don't have time to speak right now, Helba."

The woman, Helba, smirks, before she teleports away. But not before stating one thing,

"You know, the one who saved you...she _saw_ the person you're looking for."

Haou's eyes widen before he composes himself and logs out.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

 **The World: Delta Server, Port Town Alto Mare**

At the Warp Gate, the nine are quiet for some time, glad that no one is in a rush to go to the dungeon. Alighieri breaks the silence.

"That was...weird," he notes. "Do you think that those bugs are…"

"Let's not jump to conclusions," says Lance. "We'll need time to sort this all out. Until then we keep this secret. Understand?"

"My lips are sealed," says BlackRose. "Well, my first day in 'The World' was unexpected, but that's life, huh? Bianca, next time we duel, I'll make sure to be more prepared. All right?"

"I look forward to our rematch," Bianca smiles. "Take care of yourself."

BlackRose and Alighieri log out as the Dark Signers stare at one another. Then, Lance sighs.

"Meeting in the main hall, now." he states.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

After all Dark Signers log out, the seven gather for a meeting in the main hall. It is completely dark, save for a myriad of candles that give off an ominous glow to the seven people as if they are about to partake in a ritual instead of a mere talk.

Wataru pulls out a Duel Monster Card from his cloak and places it in the table. Soon after, everyone else follows suit. With a little help from Natsume, she uses her telekinetic powers to rearrange them in their proper order by their level.

Nagi is the who states their names.

"Skeith, Innis, Magus, Fidchell, Gorre, Macha and Tarvos," she says, her black eyes not blinking as she stares at these strange monsters. "I wonder if these are those very same 'Gods' that BlackRose mentioned."

"A better question is why we were given these cards," says Natsume, taking her card into her hand. "And why it was Kaiba who gave them to us in the first place."

"Maybe one of the higher-ups at the Aether Foundation asked him to deliver it?" Korni suggests, snatching her card. She makes a face at it, as if daring for it to strike back. "But how exactly did they come over if Mokuba started playing it last night?"

"This is the same Seto Kaiba who once stopped a human trafficking ring led by a Lady of Wight while handcuffed, remember?" Kamitsure notes. "If it has anything to do with the supernatural, you can bet he always has one ear to the ground."

"Not to mention that the Aether Foundation did ask for his help when it came to making 'The World'," Mikuri adds. "If these coma incidents come out, his reputation would be ruined. That's why he asked us to investigate. A group of players are much less conspicuous than a CEO parading about."

Bianca looks at Wataru's silent gaze and frowns. "Wataru-san, are you feeling alright?"

Wataru blinks and turns to Bianca before smiling. To Bianca, that is how her father should've looked like.

"I'm fine," he states. "I was thinking of that Epitaph BlackRose mentioned. I know I heard of it, and those names, from somewhere."

"Well," says Korni, stretching her arms. "You'll have all night to figure that out. In the meantime, I'm taking a shower and then working on my deck for tomorrow's test. Who knows how long we're gonna be on?"

"I agree," Kamitsure chuckles. "I promised Molly that I'd read a book to her before bed."

"Which one? _Alice in Wonderland_?"

"It's a classic."

"Meeting adjourned," says Wataru. "Prepare your decks, research, do whatever you need for tomorrow. And Bel…" he turns to the Hummingbird Dark Signer and pats her shoulder. "Good job."

Bel smiles back as she proudly walks back to her room, where Shooti is reading a book. Bel blinks-it's not just any book, but rather the book from this morning.

"Check this out," says Shooti. "It looks like some kind of poem."

Bel looks over his shoulder and reads through the page three times. Then, she gasps, hand to her mouth.

"It can't be…" she whispers. "How is that…"

"What's going on?" asks Shooti. "Bel…"

"That...that can't be real," Bel answers, staring at her arm where her hummingbird mark begins to glow madly. "How can this be?"

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

"Man," says Serena, setting a pencil down as she leans back on the couch. "Who would have thought that math can be more stressful than a killer game?"

"I can't tell whether you're sarcastic or not," Mokuba notes. He looks at his watch. "I gotta get going before Seto kills me."

"At least it was better than his reactions toward you wanting to stay over at Millefui and Kanata's place a few months back." Serena watches her friend gather his belongings before approaching the front door. "Just lock up when you go, mom will be late tonight."

"All right," says Mokuba, opening the door. He pauses then turns to Serena. "Take care, and be careful when logging in from now on, all right?"

"I will. Good night, Mokuba."

"Night."

Mokuba walks off, making sure to press the lock on the doorknob before closing the door. Meanwhile, Serena closes her math book before staring at her deck. Spreading the cards out, she smiles, feeling the spirits of her close friends preparing for the next person to duel them.

"I should invest in some new cards before I duel again," she notes. "Who knows what one can find in a place like that?"

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

In his bedroom, the boy dressed in black stares at the photo in his hand before setting it down. The scene in the cathedral disturbs him, as does Helba's words about the girl in black with orange trim.

"Gladion," says a serene voice, breaking the boy out of his thoughts. "Is everything ok?"

Gladion sits up as he sees a woman, tall, dressed in black, her waist-long hair a shade of blond similar to his own and part of it obscuring her left eye, lean against the door jamb with slight concern. Gladion just sighs once more.

"I'm fine Aunt Cynthia," he answers, doing his best to not look her in the eye. Cynthia shakes her head.

"I know you're concerned about your sister," she begins, approaching the bed. She places a hand on his shoulder. "But don't worry about her; she can take care of herself. Plus," Her lips form a smile that Gladion has interpreted as "all-knowing". "We have a few allies willing to help out."

"...I still don't know," Gladion mutters, placing his right hand over the left side of his face. "Something about them is making me feel unsettled."

"Most people are like that...until you get to know them." Cynthia places a kiss on his head before walking back to the door. "Get some rest, dear. You're meeting your friends from ISDC tomorrow, right?"

"...Yeah," Gladion lowers his hand then lays down in his bed. He turns to see his aunt approach the door. "Good night."

"Sweet dreams, my king of darkness," Cynthia replies, closing the door behind her.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

" _ **The power within that book can bring either salvation or destruction at the whim of the user", but how so? And what is to come tomorrow? None of the Dark Signers know for sure, but it won't be of any good.**_

 _ **Next time: The Dark Signers arrive at the Aether Foundation to play-test "The World" under the watchful eye of its CEO, only to find that something wicked this way comes. While exploring the dungeon, Korni is off to fight a character that is going to be just the start of what's to come.**_

" _ **Night Slash" coming soon.**_


End file.
